Soggy Sox

September 21, 2013

Hello winners and losers and the rest!  How’s life as a castaway/celebrity/middle manager?  Things here are going pretty well.  Thursday I got pretty soggy.  I had consciously decided not to take my plastic rain jacket because it was too much trouble and just another item to cram into my panniers which have been the subject of a fair amount of heel-striking lately.

Not much space, eh?  

So I got a slight chill as I sat around in the A/C working on my 8-page report dealing with Mick Jagger and Keith Richards relationship.  Here is another bicycle I saw while drying off.

A Bianchi San Jose.  Looks like a pretty cool set-up.  I toed the chain and it was slack.  I guess that's how those new-fangled internally-geared hubbas worka?  

Wanna ride an e-bike?  Here’s your chance!  This Thursday, Sept 26, 6 p.m. First United Methodist at 7020 Cass.  

Also here's a chance to become a bicycling and/or pedestrianing advocate.  There is a meeting from 9-12 on Sat, Oct 19 somewhere at Univ of NE at Omaha CPACS Building Collaborating Commons, Room 132D (Located in the center of the Dodge Street campus).  This seems like a good activity to learn how to become more involved in bicycle advocacy.     

http://ridesabike.tumblr.com/post/5899491643/brian-jones-rides-a-bike

I have also become aware that next Fri, Sept 27 is the Heartland Active Transportation Summit which deals with the energizing topic of parking this year.  Whoa!  Hopefully some other stuff too.  

Let us cycle!

Cicadas! Envelop!

September 13, 2013

Saying hello from under helmet in echoey shelter.

Saying goodbye and thanks for the lift at the bike rack.

These were my summary notes based on my cicada experience which ensued 1 week and 1 day ago.  Oh that heady day of 2-wheeling noisiness!  Cicadas are about as ubiquitous as short shorts these days.  I was riding along following my picnicking at a Lincoln park when a loud buzzing next to my ear startled me out of my complacent smilingness.  “Yawahah!?” I exclaimed!

I shook the critter out of my helmet.  It perched contentedly on my pannier 

until I had arrived forthwith at the city campus of UNLiness where I resumed my demanding role of self-appointed bike czar (locking up my bike and heading into the Student Union guzzle caffeinated beverages and skim multiple texts haphazardly).  The cicada flew off once I lifted the pannier lid and as far as I know is living here happily ever since.  

This episode raised many questions?  For instance:  

1. What will become of Omaha’s beloved bike czar since the new mayoress has assumed the throne?
2. Don’t these people playing Magic - the Gathering in the Student Union have jobs or studying or something?  If not, maybe they should go clean their rooms because I bet they are messy?  Or get outside and LARP a little?

Since I am now freely roaming the halls of academia, I conducted some research, and I shall now present the results of this research in regards to the aforementioned questions thusly:  Whaa?

Here is a photo of the bicycle-related club who was out in the grassy area known as the Selleck Quadrangle, but affectionately reefered to by students and faculties alike as “the wrangle.”:

As you may know, UNL has been honored with the silver-medal of Bicycle-Friendly Campusness by the League of American Bicyclists.  As glorious as this designation is, the bicyclers at UNL would like to attain gold level this year by adding some painted-in or signage-adorned bike routes/lanes in the upcoming futureness.  

“Good job!” I enthusiastically congratulated these co-czars.  I attempted to explain/assert my grandiose status as self-appointed czar, but was politely ignored as the attendants turned to address more comely and more femaley students with an interest in bicycling.

Cicadas make a lot of noise.  It's kind of their thing.  But what, you are undoubtedly asking, was Mel Torme's kind of thing?  Sure he could croon, but check out this video.  He's scattin' like Rex Allen yodels!  And that ain't no shibbity-poinkety-poink, cicada-baita!

   

September septasticular!

September 1, 2013

Happy September!  Do you like September?  I thought so!  It’s great!  

Another great thing is the 131 miles of bike paths in the city of Lincoln, Nebraska!  Capital!  Or is it capitol!  Indubitably!  According to my calculations, this appears to be approximately 29 more miles than Omaha!?  Here is my source for the 131 figure, which may or may not be a credible one.  I should follow up on this sometime.  

There are a lot of bicycle trails in Lincoln of that you may be sure!  Here is a park along a trail where I stopped for a pleasantly shaded lunch.  

There was a drinking fountain, which I verified before settling down for my repast.

Do you like to eat lunch outside?  Of course!  This naturally leads to my next question:  Would you like a large wooden bike rack?  It’s hefty.  It works pretty good for big bikes with skinny tubes, not as well for small or oddly shaped bikes.  What size is this bike rack you might be asking?  Well, stop it!  Size isn’t everything!  It’s 78” tall, 24” wide, and 25” deep.  It’s freestanding as fuck too!  

Oh yeah!  Lots of rusty nails sticking out of it at odd angles to hang helmets and other accoutrements up on.  If you’ve got room for it just let me know, you can have it.  It’s in my back yard right now and I just use it for hanging my watering wand on, but I could just put it on the table.

What is going on?  Fun stuff?  Sweet!  Here are some things that sound kind of fun:

1. Festa Italia - this weekend (8/31-9/1).  A Father Guido Sarducci might be there again.
2. Applegrass Bluegrass Festival - also this weekend, bring the whole family!
3. Oktoberfests - there’s one at Gerda’s next weekend (Sept 6-7).  Also one at the German American Society towards the end of September (20-21st).
4. MS Bike Ride NE starting in Bellevue on September 7 and continuing on September 8.  
5. Omaha Creative Week - from August 30-September 8.  

Have fun.  I’ll be doing my homework.

What do any of these events have to do with bicycles, you may ask?  Yes, you may.  And I may answer thusly:

1.  Italians all love bicycles.  Some of the even make them.  Isn't there a famous bicyclist or 2 from there?  Also I think Father Guido Sarducci often bicycles.

2.  This event is in Iowa.  All Iowegians love bicycles.  There are probably some Iowegians that make bicycles, too.

3.  Germans love bicycles.  But they must be properly adjusted otherwise they may frown.  They might even make some bicycles, but I think they mostly prefer to evaluate and adjust them.

4.  You probably weren't wondering about this one.

5.  Creativity and bicycles go together like creatine and biceps.  Having typed that, I don't think there are any bicycle-specific events.

Bicycle-related fun is hard to avoid, so look out!  ON YER LEFT!  HAHAHA!  FUN!